Teaching loses out to research at universities

Published on Sunday 18 January 2009 21:05

STUDENTS are being neglected because universities focus too much on cash-generating research, rectors claimed last night.

Teaching is becoming a "secondary consideration" because it does not attract cash as research projects can, they say. Craig Murray, the rector of Dundee University, said: "Of course, research is fundamentally important but the primary role of universities is to turn out well-educated graduates."

He blamed a system which assessed academics on how much research activity they brought in, rather than on how well they educated students.

He said: "They could be the best teacher in the world and it really does them no good. There is undoubtedly a perception that teaching of students is a secondary consideration and there is a real danger universities neglect teaching students in a bid to source money."

A "poor" budget settlement has forced universities to seek research contracts and grants to make up the financial shortfall.

Charles Kennedy, Glasgow University rector, said: "The research function of universities is critical, but teaching is equally critical and we want proper provision being made for both."

He said areas of teaching which did not lend themselves to research, such as the humanities, should not be neglected. "There is an underlying worry that the whole thrust of Holyrood policy is more research-orientated than focused on teaching," he said.

The rectors' criticisms come after the seven-year Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), conducted by the UK's funding councils, was published. It showed Scottish universities were performing particularly well in producing world-leading research.

However, Mark Ballard, Edinburgh University rector, said the RAE was flawed because it forced universities to jump through hoops and gave no credit for teaching. He said: "If you set people a hurdle, they will spend all their time focusing on what they need to do to jump over that hurdle, rather than proper research or proper teaching.

"Universities should be actually supporting good research, which informs lectures and articles, as an end in itself rather than looking at it as magic money or 'points'."

Students echoed the concerns. Gurjit Singh, NUS Scotland president, said a balance needed to be struck between teaching and research. He said "Research should never be prioritised at the expense of learning and teaching."

The Scotsman understands university leaders privately share the rectors' concerns. They also fear a long-term decline in teaching if more cash is not made available soon. In recent years, they have been forced to make claims for research funding, which is more likely to be successful, rather than teaching, which is more likely to be rejected.

A spokesman for Universities Scotland said: "We are preparing a spending review bid now, and investment in teaching will be a key part of that."